Archive for Week 6 Discussions

Well Mom and Dad, public relations happens when a company wants to inform its to people think or act in a certain way. Public relations is just a big fancy word used to describe a job that helps inform the public it is a very broad field ranging from research, to merchandise. Public Relations helps to keep the people informed with what is going on, companies often us PR to help persuade the public, investors, employees and even partners to make a certain positive point of view of the company and the actions they are taking. A lot of public relations surround the ‘Going Green’ hype. Companies like to inform others on how they are helping to save the environment by using recycled items or less plastic/paper. There is a lot of public speaking often involved in PR in both large and small group settings to help connect and inform the people.

When I think of the phrase “Public Relations”, I think of prominent public figures such as politicians, businesses or celebrities. It deals with their relationship with their customers/supporters/fans, etc. It can be positive or negative, depending on your actions or the statements you make. I hear all the time that politicians will do something as a “PR Stunt”..meaning they’re showing up to an event in order to garner positive feedback or thoughts from supporters or even those against them. I would explain to my parents something probably along the lines of showing them how, for example, Paul Ryan, running mate of the Presidential candidate Mitt Romney, showed up with his family to a soup kitchen recently and tried to support their efforts. Now, I could get into the fact that they were already done with that meal, that nobody was doing anything, and that the pans that Ryan washed were already clean and it was a waste of water and soap, and that the charity running the soup kitchen could get into legal trouble because of it, but the point is that he did it whilst trying to gain a positive reflection of himself among voters. That is Public Relations.

Public Relations is a job that involves communicating with the public such as publicity, research, merchandising, etc. Almost everything in a company has something to do with public relations. Public relations help institutions make decisions and function effectively. It helps the company become known through publicity, and create relationships with employers and society. Advertising is a part of public relations too.

What is public relations? Well, when I hear that I think of different organizations or people who want to do better for the public but also for themselves at the same time, and want everyone else to agree with them in the area of interest that they are talking about. People or organizations in public relations will use events like public speaking or media to spread what they or their organization believes and wants the public to join them. Some are non-profit organizations. A lot of public organizations try to get the viewers to agree on a certain point of view that they have on a subject or topic. They do whatever they can to persuade them through conferences, speeches, and media usage.